The family of maverick award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock announced May 24 the director’s death in New York resulting from cancer complications. Spurlock, who passed away May 23, achieved worldwide recognition following his groundbreaking 2004 documentary Super Size Me,for which he received an Oscar® nomination.
“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” says Craig Spurlock who worked with him on several projects. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
In his ground-breaking Super Size Me, Spurlock examined the influence of the fast food industry while exploring the consequences on his health of a diet made up solely of McDonald’s food for one month.
“Spurlock fearlessly challenged modern conventions utilizing humor and wit to shed light on societal issues. His films inspired critical thinking and encouraged viewers to question the status quo. Over thirteen years, through his production company Warrior Poets, Spurlock found additional success producing and directing nearly 70 documentary films and television series,” the family say in a statement.
“He deeply valued the creative contributions of the talented people who worked on his projects, developing a cadre of freelance production professionals who came back time and again,” the statement continues. “A great lover of modern artists, Spurlock compiled an extensive art collection, which decorated the walls of his home and the Warrior Poets office in SoHo, New York.”
Spurlock’s wide-ranging works further addressed controversial subjects. His projects covered issues including the U.S. war in Afghanistan (Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?); minimum wage and immigrant labor (FX’s 30 Days); consumer susceptibility to marketing (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold); trophy hunting and body modification (Showtime TV’s 7 Deadly Sins); care for the elderly and gambling (CNN’s Morgan Spurlock Inside Man) and corporate pressure on family farms (Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!) in 2019.
Morgan Spurlock was born November 7 1970 and died May 23 2024.
